The present invention relates to a novel human gene encoding a polypeptide which is a homolog of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA). More specifically, isolated nucleic acid molecules are provided encoding a human polypeptide named tissue-plasminogen activator-like protease, hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9ct-PALPxe2x80x9d. t-PALP polypeptides are also provided, as are vectors, host cells and recombinant methods for producing the same. Also provided are diagnostic methods for detecting disorders related to the circulatory system and therapeutic methods for treating such disorders. The invention further relates to screening methods for identifying agonists and antagonists of t-PALP activity.
The plasmin coagulation system is activated in response to vascular injury. Within a few minutes of the injury, prothrombin is activated through the coagulation cascade to give rise to thrombin. Thrombin then converts fibrinogen to insoluble fibrin, which then interdigitates with and strengthens the primary platelet. Abnormal blood clotting can lead to many vascular diseases, such as stroke, deep-vein thrombosis, peripheral arterial occlusion, pulmonary embolism, and myocardiothrombosis, each of which constitutes a major health risk. Such diseases are primarily caused by partial or total occlusion of a blood vessel by a blood clot. Such clots consist essentially of a mass of fibrin and platelets. The prevention of clot formation and the dissolution of existing clots are two major therapeutic avenues frequently used for the treatment of disease states related to blood clots. Prevention of clot formation is primarily achieved through the inhibition of thrombin activity, whereas the dissolution of existing clots is frequently achieved by the activation of plasminogen which dissolves the existing blood clot (thereby affecting the fibrinolysis pathway).
The fibrinolytic system is activated by the deposition of fibrin. The conversion of fibrinogen to fibrin results in the exposure of many lysine residues on the surface of the molecule. A factor released from endothelial cells, termed tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA), activates plasminogen. Only upon activation can plasminogen bind to exposed lysine residues on the surface of fibrin, resulting in the degradation of fibrin, and, ultimately, the degradation of the blood clot itself.
In man and other animals, t-PA plays an essential role in the dissolution of fibrin clots (see, e.g., Verstraete and Collen, (1986) Blood 67:1425). t-PA is composed of several domains which share sequence homology with other proteins. These are the fibronectin finger-like domain, the epidermal growth factor-like domain, the kringle domain (of which t-PA has two), and the protease domain (Pennica, D., et al., (1983) Nature 301:214-221; Banyai, L., et al., (1983) FEBS Lett. 163:37-41). Only the function of the protease domain (residues 276-527) has been unambiguously defined. This finding was first based on the observed sequence homology with other known serine proteases. More recently, limited reduction of the two-chain form of t-PA has allowed the direct isolation and functional characterization of the protease region (Rijken and Groeneveld, (1986) J. Biol. Chem., 261:3098).
In addition to the role played by human t-PA and related protease-like molecules in the fibrinolytic system, this same family of molecules also play important roles in carcinogenesis. On the one hand, numerous studies have implicated the plasminogen activator and/or protease activity of t-PA and related molecules in promoting progression of carcinogenesis and metastasis (for example see: Alizadeh, H., (1995) Curr. Eye Res. 14:449; Yamashita, J., (1993) Br. J. Cancer 68:524; Yamashita, J., (1992) Int. J. Clin. Lab Res. 21:227; Koller, A., (1984) Eur. Urol. 10:389). As such, inhibitors of the plasminogen activator and/or protease activity of t-PA and related molecules may provide useful therapeutics in combating cancer.
On the other hand, there is also now a large body of evidence which shows that specific domains from proteins such as t-PA can actually inhibit tumorigenesis and metastasis by inhibiting endothelial cell-mediated vascularization (i.e. angiogenesis) which is required for tumor growth. The specific domains mediating such anti-angiogenic activity have been identified as xe2x80x9ckringlexe2x80x9d domains. Kringle domains are triple-looped, disulfide cross-linked domains occurring with varying copy numbers in some serine proteases and plasma proteins. The kringle domain has been found in proteins such as: Apolipoprotein A (38 copies); Blood coagulation factor XII (Hageman factor) (1 copy); Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) (4 copies); Hepatocyte growth factor-like protein (4 copies); Hepatocyte growth factor activator (1 copy); Plasminogen (5 copies); Thrombin (2 copies); Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (1 copy); and Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) (2 copies). The signature pattern of a kringle domain is [F/Y]-C-R-N-P-[D/N/R] (SEQ ID NO:28), where C (cysteine) is involved in disulfide bond formation.
Kringle domains appear to be effective inhibitors of endothelial cell angiogenesis, and thus, effective inhibitors of tumorigenesis and metastasis. It has been demonstrated, for example, that a four-kringle domain containing protein called HGF/NK4 inhibits invasion of multiple tumorigenic cell types in both in vitro and in vivo assays (Date, K., et al. (1998) Oncogene 17:3045). Similarly, angiostatin (a fragment of plasminogen containing four kringle domains) has also been shown to inhibit tumor vascularization, growth, and metastasis (O""Reilly M. S., et al., (1994) Cell 79:315; O""Reilly, M. S., et al., (1996) Nat. Med. 2:689). Furthermore, a fragment of plasminogen containing just three kringle domains has been demonstrated to markedly reduce growth of malignant brain tumors in mice (Joe, J. Y., et al., (1999) Int. J. Cancer 82:694). Finally, it has also been demonstrated that a single kringle domain of angiostatin is sufficient to significantly inhibit endothelial cell angiogenesis (Cao, Y., et al., (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271:29461). Therefore, t-PALP polynucleotides and/or polypeptides of the invention may provide particularly good therapeutic molecules for use in treating cancer and/or tumorigenesis, as well as in therapeutically modulating angiogenesis.
There is a clear need, therefore, for identification and characterization for such enzymes that influence the fibrinolytic system, both normally and in disease states. In particular, there is a need to isolate and characterize additional human tissue plasminogen activator and related protease-like molecules which possess such functions as the activation of plasminogen and may be employed, therefore, for preventing, ameliorating or correcting dysfunctions or disease states or, alternatively, augmenting the positive, natural actions of such enzymes.
The present invention provides isolated nucleic acid molecules comprising a polynucleotide encoding at least a portion of the t-PALP polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 or the complete amino acid sequence encoded by the cDNA clone deposited as plasmid DNA HMSIB42 (ATCC Deposit Number 209023) on May 8, 1997. The nucleotide sequence determined by sequencing the deposited t-PALP clone, which is shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C (SEQ ID NO: 1), contains an open reading frame encoding a complete polypeptide of 263 amino acid residues, including an initiation codon encoding an N-terminal methionine at nucleotide positions 124-126, and a predicted molecular weight of about 28.2 kDa. Nucleic acid molecules of the invention include those encoding the complete amino acid sequence excepting the N-terminal methionine shown in SEQ ID NO:2, or the complete amino acid sequence excepting the N-terminal methionine encoded by the cDNA clone in ATCC Deposit Number 209023, which molecules also can encode additional amino acids fused to the N-terminus of the t-PALP amino acid sequence.
The t-PALP protein of the present invention shares sequence homology with the translation product of the human mRNA for t-PA (FIG. 2) (SEQ ID NO:3), including the following conserved domains: (a) the predicted kringle domain of about 60 amino acids and (b) the predicted protease domain of about 179 amino acids. t-PA is thought to be important in the regulation of blood clotting and disorders related thereto. The homology between t-PA and t-PALP indicates that t-PALP may also be involved in the regulation of normal and abnormal clotting in such conditions including many vascular diseases, such as stroke, deep-vein thrombosis, peripheral arterial occlusion, pulmonary embolism, and myocardiothrombosis.
The encoded polypeptide has a predicted leader sequence of about 21 amino acids underlined in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C. The amino acid sequence of the predicted mature t-PALP protein is also shown in FIGS. 1A, 1B, and 1C, as amino acid residues 22-263 and as residues 1-242 in SEQ ID NO:2.
Thus, one aspect of the invention provides an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) a nucleotide sequence encoding a full-length t-PALP polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence in SEQ ID NO:2 excepting the N-terminal methionine (i.e., positions xe2x88x9220 to 242 of SEQ ID NO:2) or the complete amino acid sequence excepting the N-terminal methionine encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; (b) a nucleotide sequence encoding a mature t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence in SEQ ID NO:2 from residue 1 to 242 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; (c) a nucleotide sequence encoding the predicted kringle domain of the t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 4 to 63 in SEQ ID NO:2 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; (d) a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide comprising the predicted protease domain of the t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 64 to 242 in SEQ ID NO:2 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; and (e) a nucleotide sequence complementary to any of the nucleotide sequences in (a), (b), (c) or (d) above.
Further embodiments of the invention include isolated nucleic acid molecules that comprise a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence at least 90% identical (or 10% different), and more preferably at least 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% identical (or 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% or 1% different from), to any of the nucleotide sequences in (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) above, or a polynucleotide which hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to a polynucleotide in (a), (b), (c), (d) or (e) above. This polynucleotide which hybridizes does not hybridize under stringent hybridization conditions to a polynucleotide having a nucleotide sequence consisting of only A residues or of only T residues. An additional nucleic acid embodiment of the invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid molecule comprising a polynucleotide which encodes the amino acid sequence of an epitope-bearing portion of a t-PALP polypeptide having an amino acid sequence in (a), (b), (c) or (d) above.
The present invention also relates to recombinant vectors, which include the isolated nucleic acid molecules of the present invention, and to host cells containing the recombinant vectors, as well as to methods of making such vectors and host cells and for using them for production of t-PALP polypeptides or peptides by recombinant techniques.
The invention further provides an isolated t-PALP polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of: (a) the amino acid sequence of the full-length t-PALP polypeptide having the complete amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2 excepting the N-terminal methionine (i.e., positions xe2x88x9220 to 242 of SEQ ID NO:2) or the complete amino acid sequence excepting the N-terminal methionine encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; (b) the amino acid sequence comprising the mature form of the t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 1 to 242 in SEQ ID NO:2 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; (c) the amino acid sequence comprising the predicted kringle domain of the t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 4 to 63 in SEQ ID NO:2 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023; and (d) the amino acid sequence comprising the predicted protease domain of the t-PALP polypeptide having the amino acid sequence at positions 64 to 242 in SEQ ID NO:2 or as encoded by the cDNA clone contained in the ATCC Deposit No. 209023. The polypeptides of the present invention also include polypeptides having an amino acid sequence at least 80% identical (that is, 20% different), more preferably at least 90% identical (10% different), and still more preferably 95%, 96%, 97%, 98% or 99% identical to (which also may be expressed as 5%, 4%, 3%, 2% or 1% different from) those described in (a), (b), (c) or (d) above, as well as polypeptides having an amino acid sequence with at least 90% similarity, and more preferably at least 95% similarity, to those above.
An additional embodiment of this aspect of the invention relates to a peptide or polypeptide which comprises the amino acid sequence of an epitope-bearing portion of a t-PALP polypeptide having an amino acid sequence described in (a), (b) or (c) above. Peptides or polypeptides having the amino acid sequence of an epitope-bearing portion of a t-PALP polypeptide of the invention include portions of such polypeptides with at least six or seven, preferably at least nine, and more preferably at least about 30 amino acids to about 50 amino acids, although epitope-bearing polypeptides of any length up to and including the entire amino acid sequence of a polypeptide of the invention described above also are included in the invention.
In another embodiment, the invention provides an isolated antibody that binds specifically to a t-PALP polypeptide having an amino acid sequence described in (a), (b), (c) or (d) above. The invention further provides methods for isolating antibodies that bind specifically to a t-PALP polypeptide having an amino acid sequence as described herein. Such antibodies are useful diagnostically or therapeutically as described below.
The invention also provides for pharmaceutical compositions comprising t-PALP polypeptides, particularly human t-PALP polypeptides, which may be employed, for instance, to treat many vascular diseases, such as stroke, deep-vein thrombosis, peripheral arterial occlusion, pulmonary embolism, and myocardiothrombosis. Further uses of t-PALP may include induction of growth of hepatocytes and regeneration of liver tissue. Methods of treating individuals in need of t-PALP polypeptides are also provided.
The invention further provides compositions comprising a t-PALP polynucleotide or an t-PALP polypeptide for administration to cells in vitro, to cells ex vivo and to cells in vivo, or to a multicellular organism. In certain particularly preferred embodiments of this aspect of the invention, the compositions comprise a t-PALP polynucleotide for expression of a t-PALP polypeptide in a host organism for treatment of disease. Particularly preferred in this regard is expression in a human patient for treatment of a dysfunction associated with aberrant endogenous activity of a t-PALP
The present invention also provides a screening method for identifying compounds capable of enhancing or inhibiting a biological activity of the t-PALP polypeptide, which involves contacting an enzyme which is activated by the t-PALP polypeptide with the candidate compound in the presence of a t-PALP polypeptide, assaying proteolytic activity of the plasminogen-like molecule in the presence of the candidate compound and of t-PALP polypeptide, and comparing the plasminogen-like molecule activity to a standard level of activity, the standard being assayed when contact is made between the plasminogen-like molecule and in the presence of the t-PALP polypeptide and the absence of the candidate compound In this assay, an increase in plasminogen-like molecule activity over the standard indicates that the candidate compound is an agonist of t-PALP activity and a decrease in plasminogen-like molecule activity compared to the standard indicates that the compound is an antagonist of t-PALP activity.
In another aspect, a screening assay for agonists and antagonists is provided which involves determining the effect a candidate compound has on t-PALP binding to a plasminogen-like molecule. In particular, the method involves contacting the plasminogen-like molecule with a t-PALP polypeptide and a candidate compound and determining whether t-PALP polypeptide binding to the plasminogen-like molecule is increased or decreased due to the presence of the candidate compound. In this assay, an increase in binding of t-PALP over the standard binding indicates that the candidate compound is an agonist of t-PALP binding activity and a decrease in t-PALP binding compared to the standard indicates that the compound is an antagonist of t-PALP binding activity.
It has been discovered that t-PALP is expressed not only in activated monocytes, but in a number of other cells and tissues including cerebellum, smooth muscle, resting and PHA-treated T-cells, GM-CSF-treated macrophages, frontal cortex of the brain, breast lymph node, chronic lymphocytic leukemic spleen, and several others. Therefore, nucleic acids of the invention are useful as hybridization probes for differential identification of the tissue(s) or cell type(s) present in a biological sample. Similarly, polypeptides and antibodies directed to those polypeptides are useful to provide immunological probes for differential identification of the tissue(s) or cell type(s). In addition, for a number of disorders of the above tissues or cells, particularly of the circulatory system, significantly higher or lower levels of t-PALP gene expression may be detected in certain tissues (e.g., cancerous and wounded tissues) or bodily fluids (e.g., serum, plasma, urine, synovial fluid or spinal fluid) taken from an individual having such a disorder, relative to a xe2x80x9cstandardxe2x80x9d t-PALP gene expression level, i.e., the t-PALP expression level in healthy tissue from an individual not having the circulatory system disorder. Thus, the invention provides a diagnostic method useful during diagnosis of such a disorder, which involves: (a) assaying t-PALP gene expression level in cells or body fluid of an individual; (b) comparing the t-PALP gene expression level with a standard t-PALP gene expression level, whereby an increase or decrease in the assayed t-PALP gene expression level compared to the standard expression level is indicative of disorder in the circulatory system.
A further aspect of the invention is related to the relative clot-specificities which t-PALP and t-PA may possess. For example, t-PALP may have a higher or lower affinity for exerting its proteolytic activity with respect to a blood clot which localized itself to the lungs than does t-PA. In addition, t-PALP may have a higher or lower affinity for a specific constituent of a given blood clot than does t-PA. Thus, the t-PALP molecule may prove useful as an agent which, directly or indirectly, results in the dissolution of a blood clot with a higher or lower activity than other agents.
An additional aspect of the invention is related to a method for treating an individual in need of an increased level of t-PALP activity in the body comprising administering to such an individual a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of an isolated t-PALP polypeptide of the invention or an agonist thereof.
A still further aspect of the invention is related to a method for treating an individual in need of a decreased level of t-PALP activity in the body comprising, administering to such an individual a composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of an t-PALP antagonist. Preferred antagonists for use in the present invention are t-PALP-specific antibodies.